Much like karma, it looks like global warming's also going to
get you. We have floods in Illinois, over 100 degree temps in New England, tornadoes sweeping
across the Midwest and all-time low summer temperatures in the Bay Area. Before we know it,
the Arctic caps will be non-existent. This weather is more than wacky and we should all take
the bus, car pool, bike, or walk your way to and from any of this week's great picks.
Tonight there's The Helio Sequence playing at Slim's (Muni line: 12,9,47) and tomorrow
night is poet/performer Marc Bamuthi Joseph's The Break/s: A Mixtape for Stage by at YBCA
(Muni line: 14,30,45 and Powell Street BART & F -Train stops). On Friday night why not take
in a little opera at Opera at the Ballpark? This special event at AT&T Park is a great (and free)
way to take in some of the city's great culture. Plus, you can take the new T-line there!
Celebrating the announcement of the abolition of slavery in Texas on June 19, 1865, the
Juneteenth Festival at Civic Center Plaza and the African American Art and Culture Complex (AAACC)
is an important part of our country's history and a fun way to commemorate this historical event
(Civic Center BART and F-train stops and 5,9 Muni lines). Speaking of fun, the longest day of
the year is here and so is the Summer Sailstice on Treasure Island (Muni line: 108). Hopefully,
the weather will be nice!

After 3 albums and ten years of touring and recording, The Helio Sequence have recorded their most dynamic, extraordinary work to date. "Keep Your Eyes Ahead" marries the Portland duo's signature layered keyboards and impossibly big guitars with crisp songwriting and a newfound appreciation for minimalism. The finger picking on "Shed Your Love" is backed by exquisite strings and ambient noise...

"I basically wanted to make an uptempo pop album with big choruses to sing along to. I sort of figured I'd made enough sulky midtempo music for the rest of my life...I'm very interested in presenting all these weird sounds, bleeps etc. in a package that is quite accessible overall. But when you listen a little deeper, there is still a lot there to discover." - Styrofoam

"Raised like The Streets on a diet of pirate radio and dark garage music, Skream's early forays into clippy minimal territory reflected the feel of decaying London. Educated through a weekend job at beat mecca Big Apple Records and introduced to Benga through celebrated Croydon producer Hatcha, eleven expulsions from school facilitated days spent with a computer honing hundreds of early tracks like his "Cape Fear remix"..."

The San Francisco Film Society's SF360 Film+Club, a monthly social screening series, returns with its third program from the uniquely entertaining and wildly popular Wholphin, a quarterly magazine collection of rare and unseen short films.

Grammy nominee Banton, a native of London, had his first break into the music business on English Beat's classic 1982 album Special Beat Service and has rightly earned the spotlight ever since. Nearly three decades later, Pato Banton is still the efficacious performer; approaching reggae music with a soulful and light hearted character.

YBCA has long been committed to supporting the work of electrifying storyteller Marc Bamuthi Joseph. For our season finale, we're proud to present the break/s, Joseph's multimedia journey through verse, contemporary dance and video that interweaves his personal story with the history of hip-hop...

After two sold-out presentations of "Weimar New York" at SF MOMA in Feburary, independent curator and producer Earl Dax returns to the San Francisco to present "New York's" Dynasty Handbag, the one- woman music/comedy/performance/meltdown/portable electro-ballad vehicle of Jibz Cameron and Taylor Mac, a flamboyant chameleon of words, music, humor and sociopolitical tirades...

Thievery Corporation: "Our deepest source of inspiration comes from our record collections," says Rob Garza; an apt reference to their collective nom de plume. Always great admirers and curators of dusty grooves and all but forgotten music styles, Thievery Corporation borrow from the classically sensual and blunted sounds of their favorite Brazilian bossa nova, Jamaican dub reggae, vintage film soundtracks, and psychedelic rock to forge into new sonic territory.

Cherry Bleeds editors Tony DuShane, Paul Corman-Roberts and MK Chavez celebrate eight years of literary transgression. There will be no readings, no speeches, no fake sentimentality, no schmoozing, only good times.

A free, live simulcast of Donizetti's bel canto masterpiece Lucia di Lammermoor. Through state-of-the-art technology, the performance will be transmitted in high definition, live from the War Memorial Opera House stage to AT&T Park's 3200-square-foot scoreboard. Baseball fans and opera fans will experience this event with seating both on the field and in the stands.

When California based She Wants Revenge released their debut album back in early 2006, it fast became apparent that they had created the soundtrack for the dark and debaucherous on many-a-dance-floors across the nation. Much like their Electronic Rock fore-fathers; Dave Gahan, Rob Smith and Ian Curtis had done so before, She Wants Revenge offered a voice and a rhythm...

The Beat Tour is back in San Francisco teaming up with the monthly Crush party at Vessel to bring a special DJ performance by legendary remix/mash-up DJ from Hollyrock, CA - DJ Troublemaker. Doc Fu and Pause hold down their residency while welcoming their good friend from down south for this big night of hip-hop, remixes, and mash-ups; all brought to you by our good friends at Scion and imeem...

The Lab teams up for the third year with local indie fashion designers for our most debaucherous event ever. The fashion runway show is simultaneously parodied and celebrated as artistic wearables are auctioned right off the catwalk and given to the highest bidder. Fashion and jewelry designers will also be selling original items in the trunk show. Join the fun and support The LAB and independent local designers!

"A prominent figure in hip hop music, he is the de facto leader of the hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan. He has produced almost all of Wu-Tang Clan's albums as well as many Wu-Tang solo and affiliate projects. Lately he has gained more attention for his work in films, whether it be on screen or as a composer of original film scores..."

A Bay Area wide Celebration, celebrating African American freedom while encouraging self-development and respect for all cultures. Promoted through a community festival that celebrates and shares African-American history and culture through music, the performing arts, living history, and other cultural activities.

Alice just wants you to have a good time. Shrug off the last couple of months and have a completely irresponsible day of play Alice's annual free concert in Golden Gate Park - relax and get your groove on at Summerthing. Featuring Lifehouse, Ingrid Michaelson, The Last Goodnight, Marie Digby, and Second Hand Serenade.

Porchlight Theatre Company presents a unique, outdoor production of "Under Milk Wood," by Dylan Thomas. Randall Stuart directs this poetic, dreamlike tale about villagers in a small, seaside town. A cast of professional and trained actors portray more than 30 characters in this landmark play for voices first presented as a radio play in 1954. Presented in association with Upon These Boards.

Black Francis (also known as Frank Black) is best known as the frontman of the influential alternative rock band The Pixies. Following the band's breakup in 1993, he embarked on a solo career under his current pseudonym. After releasing two albums with 4AD, he left the label and formed a backing band, Frank Black and the Catholics.

Frameline, the world's premiere showcase for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender cinema, proudly announces the program for Frameline32: San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival. With screenings in San Francisco at the historic Castro Theatre, Roxie Film Center and the Victoria Theatre, and in Berkeley at Rialto Cinemas Elmwood. During the 11 days of the Frameline32 Film Festival, more than 70,000 patrons from the Bay Area and across the globe are expected to see the 237 feature length and short films appearing in the festival program.